i'm used to CS2 and so it was refreshing and slightly confusing shifting over to the CS4 interface. The brush options palette was hard to find at first but when I did, I tore it off and put it on my 2nd monitor. Along with it i placed my layers palette, the color/swatches, and this new 'adjustments' palette that I have yet to use or figure out. In the rest of the space I place reference photos and a smaller version of my current painting. This tip was taught to me by Bobby Chiu -- go to Window -> Arrange -> New Window for [filename]. This opens up a new frame your current window that I use to shrink down and keep as reference while painting. It's like when you paint traditionally and take a step back to assess the piece as a whole. Handy!

My only drawback is that i have a 4x6 tablet which is not suitable for widescreen, but the extra real estate really helps me organize the workspace.

Going to be working more on my desktop these days and less from my nearly-explosive laptop. If anyone knows where I can get an affordable larger Intuos3 (or better) let me know!